Devices, systems, and methods for mitigating vehicle power loss in battery mode

ABSTRACT

Devices, systems, and methods are provided for mitigating vehicle power loss. A vehicle charging system may include a power supply, and a voltage control device associated with receiving first voltage from the power supply, providing the first voltage to a hybrid vehicle or a battery electric vehicle, and blocking a second voltage from the hybrid vehicle or the battery electric vehicle, wherein the vehicle charging system is external to the hybrid vehicle or the battery electric vehicle.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to systems, methods, and devices formitigating vehicle power loss.

BACKGROUND

Some vehicles are equipped with one or more batteries that may becharged by an external power source when a vehicle is not running.However, use of some external power sources used to supply power to abattery that powers a vehicle's computer may result in electricalcurrent backfeeding and vehicle power loss.

There is therefore a need for a way to mitigate vehicle power loss.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram for a vehicle, inaccordance with one or more example embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram for the vehicle of FIG.1, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a process for mitigating vehiclepower loss, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing deviceor computer system upon which any of one or more techniques (e.g.,methods) may be performed, in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the present disclosure.

Certain implementations will now be described more fully below withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementationsand/or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theimplementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.Like numbers in the figures refer to like elements throughout. Hence, ifa feature is used across several drawings, the number used to identifythe feature in the drawing where the feature first appeared will be usedin later drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some vehicles operate on battery power. For example, electric vehiclesand some hybrid vehicles may have a high voltage battery to providepower to a vehicle's components, an a direct current DC/DC converter toconvert high-voltage power from the high voltage battery to lowervoltage to power a vehicle's computer. Some vehicles allow for batterycharging using shore power while the vehicles are not running. Unlikebattery hybrid electric vehicles (or, more generally, vehicles with ahigh-voltage battery but without shore power), plug-in hybrid vehiclesand electric vehicles may be able to maintain power to all systems offof shore power (e.g., by using a vehicle charging port). Therefore,battery hybrid electric vehicles may benefit from enhanced power lossmitigation.

Specifically, when a battery hybrid electric vehicle is not running, thevehicle's computers may not be able to run, which may prevent someapplications such as offloading data from the vehicle while the vehicleis idle. In addition, the DC/DC converter may not be designed to supportexternal power charges. In particular, when an external power supply isconnected to a vehicle computer's low-voltage power domain while thevehicle is running, the voltage from the vehicle's DC/DC converter may“backfeed” to the external power supply, resulting in power supplyfailure and potentially vehicle power loss. Some power supplies with lowimpedance, for example, are not designed to operate concurrently withother power supplies, such as a vehicle's high voltage power supply, andmay allow for backfeeding.

Therefore, enhanced systems, devices, and methods for mitigating powerloss for lower voltage power domains used by battery hybrid electricvehicle computers may be beneficial.

Example embodiments described herein provide certain systems, methods,and devices for enhanced systems, devices, and methods for mitigatingbattery hybrid electric vehicle power loss and maintaining a batteryhybrid electric vehicle computer's low-voltage power domain.

In one or more embodiments, enhanced systems, devices, and methods formitigating vehicle power loss and maintaining a battery hybrid electricvehicle computer's low-voltage power domain may provide an alternativeto vehicle shore power while a vehicle is not running. A battery hybridelectric vehicle's computer power domain may be powered indefinitely byan external high-power voltage maintainer (e.g., battery powered orplugged into a power receptacle), allowing a vehicle with a separatehigh voltage power supply (e.g., separate from the lower voltage powerdomain of the vehicle computers) to maintain operation of vehiclecomputer's low-voltage power domain even while the vehicle is notrunning. The high-power voltage maintainer may use a voltage controldevice (e.g., a diode, relay monitor circuit, etc.) to automaticallydisconnect the high-power voltage maintainer to the vehicle when thevehicle's power net voltage exceeds the power supply output (e.g., apower threshold). When the vehicle's power net voltage drops below thehigh-power voltage maintainer's output, the external high-power voltagemaintainer's voltage control device may conduct to provide power to thevehicle, allowing the vehicle's lower powered battery to maintain thenecessary voltage to power vehicle computers.

In one or more embodiments, the voltage control device of the externalhigh-power voltage maintainer may prevent backfeeding. When the batteryhybrid electric vehicle is on and charging using an external powersupply, the converted voltage from the DC/DC converter of the vehiclemay, without the voltage control device, backfeed into the externalpower supply, resulting in power supply failure and potentially vehiclepower loss. However, the voltage control device of the high-powervoltage maintainer may block (e.g., prevent flow of) current from theconverted voltage (e.g., by disconnecting from the vehicle) when thevehicle battery voltage exceeds a threshold voltage, providing powerloss mitigation and power supply maintenance. When the vehicle batteryvoltage drops below the threshold voltage, the voltage control devicemay connect to the vehicle battery to provide power to the vehicle'scomputers.

In one or more embodiments, the external high-power voltage maintainermay include one or more communication interfaces, such as cellular,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, and the like, allowing for wired or wirelesscommunications using the external power supply. For example, thecommunications interface may allow for offloading data from thevehicle's computers and/or other systems. In this manner, the externalhigh-power voltage maintainer may receive data from the vehicle, and maysend the data (e.g., to another device/system) using the one or morecommunication interfaces, thereby allowing for offloading of vehicledata without idling the vehicle.

The above descriptions are for purposes of illustration and are notmeant to be limiting. Numerous other examples, configurations,processes, etc., may exist, some of which are described in greaterdetail below. Example embodiments will now be described with referenceto the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram 100 for a vehicle 102,in accordance with one or more example embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle 102 (e.g., a batteryhybrid electric vehicle), which at step 101 may include a high voltagebattery 104 that powers the vehicle 102 with power 105, one or moreDC/DC converters 106 for converting the power 105 to a lower voltagepower 107 that charges a lower voltage battery 108 (e.g., a 12 voltbattery) used to power a computer (CPU) 110 of the vehicle 102. Thevehicle 102 may be connected to an external power supply 112, which mayprovide power 130 to charge the battery 108. However, when the externalpower supply 112 is connected to the vehicle 102 while the vehicle 102is running, the power 107 (e.g., current) may backfeed into the externalpower supply 112, resulting in vehicle power loss and/or power supplyfailure.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the battery 108 may output the power 107 tothe computer 110 via a voltage output 122. At step 101, when the power107 backfeeds from the battery 108, the battery 108 may lose power, andthe power output by the battery 108 using the voltage output 122 (e.g.,to the computer 110) may drop below the voltage supplied by the battery108 (e.g., 12 volts), so the battery 108 may not provide sufficientpower to operate the computer 110. However, at step 150, the powersupplied by the battery 108 via the voltage output 122 may remain at 12volts unless the vehicle is turned off (e.g., thereby eliminating thepower 107 supplied to the battery 108 from the DC/DC converter 106).Because the voltage control device 156 may be operatively connected tothe battery 108 (e.g., via the voltage output 122), the voltage controldevice 156 may detect the voltage output by the battery 108. When thevoltage across the voltage control device 156 is negative (e.g., due tothe power 107 backfeeding from the vehicle 102), the voltage controldevice 156 may prevent the flow of current. When the voltage across thevoltage control device 156 is positive (e.g., when the vehicle 102 isturned off and the battery 108 drains below a threshold voltage), thevoltage control device 156 may conduct, allowing the power 160 of step150 to be provided to the vehicle 102.

Still referring to FIG. 2, at step 150, the vehicle 102 may be connectedto an external high-power voltage maintainer 152 different than theexternal power supply 112 of step 101. The external high-power voltagemaintainer 152 may include a power supply 154 (e.g., a battery or powerprovided from another source, such as a power receptacle to which theexternal high-power voltage maintainer 152 may connect). The powersupply 154 may provide power 160 to a voltage control device 156 (e.g.,a diode, a relay monitor circuit, or the like), which may turn on andconduct when the battery 108 of the vehicle 102 drops below a thresholdvoltage (e.g., 12 volts, such as when the vehicle 102 is off), allowingthe power 160 to be provided to the vehicle 102. In addition, thevoltage control device 156 may block the power 107 of step 101 frombackfeeding into the external high-power voltage maintainer 152,maintaining power supply for the computer 110 and mitigating power lossof the vehicle 102 (e.g., when the vehicle 102 is on).

For example, when the voltage control device 156 includes a diode, thediode may conduct current in one direction (e.g., from the voltagecontrol device 156 to the vehicle 102), preventing current (e.g., forthe power 107) from backfeeding in the reverse direction (e.g., from thevehicle 102 to the external high-power voltage maintainer 152). When thevoltage control device 156 includes a relay monitoring circuit (ordevice), the voltage control device 156 may detect when backfeedingcurrent exceeds a threshold limit, and may stop conducting to preventthe backfeeding. In this manner, the voltage control device 156 mayprevent the power 107 from backfeeding, may maintain the necessaryvoltage of the battery 108 to power the vehicle 102 computer 110,thereby mitigating the vehicle 102 power loss of step 101.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes ofillustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative schematic diagram 200 for the vehicle 102of FIG. 1, in accordance with one or more example embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the vehicle 102 may have the features described atstep 150 of FIG. 1, and also may include additional features. Forexample, the vehicle 102 may have a sensor system 210 for a plurality ofcameras, emitters, and sensors. The sensor system 210 may be connectedto the vehicle 202. The sensor system 210 may include sensors such assensors 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, and 210 d. It should be noted that othersensors not shown in this figure may also be attached to the vehicle 202and that the sensors 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, and 210 d are used forillustrative purposes. These sensors may detect objects in the vicinityand around the vehicle 102. Other emitters and sensors in the sensorsystem 210 may transmit and/or receive one or more signals in order todetect and/or capture information associated with objects in thevicinity and around the vehicle 102. For example, a LIDAR sensor maytransmit a LIDAR signal (e.g., light or an electromagnetic wave), aradar uses radio waves in order to determine distances between thevehicle and objects in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a thermal sensormay capture temperature (e.g., based on an emitted and detected infraredsignal or other laser signals).

In one or more embodiments, the sensor system 210 may include LIDAR 222(e.g., LIDAR emitters and sensors/receivers). Some examples of a LIDARmay include Geiger mode LIDAR, line-mode LIDAR, large footprint LIDAR,small footprint LIDAR, or the like. The sensor system 210 may includecameras 224 such as stereo cameras that may capture images in thevicinity of the vehicle 102. The sensor system 210 may include a thermalsensor 226, such as thermistors, resistance temperature detectors,thermocouples, semiconductors, or the like. Further, the sensor systemmay include a radar 228, which may be any radar that uses radio waves tocapture data from objects surrounding the vehicle 102. The sensor system210 may also include one or more processors 232. The one or moreprocessors 232 may control the transmission and reception of signalsusing the LIDAR 222, the cameras 224, the thermal sensor 226, and theradar 228. The various sensors of the sensor system 210, when calibratedcorrectly, should indicate a proper distance and shape of an object.

In one or more embodiments, the external high-power voltage maintainer152 of FIG. 1 may include the power supply 154, the voltage controldevice 156, and optionally a communication interface 250. Thecommunication interface 250 may use one or more communication protocolssuch as cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, and the like, allowing forwired or wireless communications using the external power supply. Forexample, the communications interface 250 may allow for offloading datafrom the vehicle's computer 110 and/or other systems. In particular, theexternal high-power voltage maintainer 152 may send data 260 to one ormore devices 262 (e.g., device 264, device 266). For example, the data260 may include sensor data for the sensors of the sensor system 210,allowing the one or more devices 262 to analyze operational performanceof the vehicle 102 and the sensor system 210 (e.g., whether the sensorssatisfy performance metrics, etc.).

In one or more embodiments, the communication interface 250 may includewired or wireless network interfaces to enable communication withexternal networks. In some such examples, the communication interface250 includes hardware (e.g., processors, memory, storage, antenna, etc.)and software that communicate via cellular networks (Global System forMobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA),etc.), wireless local area networks (WLAN) (including IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac or others, dedicated short range communication (DSRC),visible light communication (Li-Fi), etc.), and/or wide area networks(Wireless Gigabit (IEEE 802.11ad), etc.). In some examples, thecommunication interface 250 includes a wired or wireless interface(e.g., an auxiliary port, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, aBluetooth® wireless node, etc.) to communicatively couple with a mobiledevice (e.g., a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet, etc.). In suchexamples, the external high-power voltage maintainer 152 may communicatewith the external network via the coupled mobile device. The externalnetwork(s) may be a public network, such as the Internet; a privatenetwork, such as an intranet; or combinations thereof, and may utilize avariety of networking protocols now available or later developedincluding, but not limited to, TCP/IP-based networking protocols.

In one or more embodiments, the computer 110 and/or the one or moreprocessors 232 may control various subsystems of the vehicle 102. Forexample, the computer 110 and/or the one or more processors 232 maycontrol power windows, power locks, an immobilizer system, and/or powermirrors, etc. The computer 110 and/or the one or more processors 232 mayinclude circuits to, for example, drive relays (e.g., to control wiperfluid, etc.), drive brushed direct current (DC) motors (e.g., to controlpower seats, power locks, power windows, wipers, etc.), drive steppermotors, and/or drive LEDs, etc.

In one or more embodiments, the computer 110 and/or the one or moreprocessors 232 may control autonomous functions of the vehicle 102. Morespecifically, the computer 110 and/or the one or more processors 232 mayinclude a system to autonomously park and un-park a vehicle 102 when anoperator is outside of the vehicle, to cause acceleration ordeceleration, to change directions, and the like.

The one or more devices 262 may include any suitable processor-drivendevice including, but not limited to, a mobile device or a non-mobile,e.g., a static, device. For example, the one or more devices 262 mayinclude a user equipment (UE), a station (STA), an access point (AP), apersonal computer (PC), a wearable wireless device (e.g., bracelet,watch, glasses, ring, etc.), a desktop computer, a mobile computer, alaptop computer, an Ultrabook™ computer, a notebook computer, a tabletcomputer, a server computer, a handheld computer, a handheld device, aninternet of things (IoT) device, a sensor device, a PDA device, ahandheld PDA device, an on-board device, an off-board device, a hybriddevice (e.g., combining cellular phone functionalities with PDA devicefunctionalities), a consumer device, a vehicular device, a non-vehiculardevice, a mobile or portable device, a non-mobile or non-portabledevice, a mobile phone, a cellular telephone, a PCS device, a PDA devicewhich incorporates a wireless communication device, a mobile or portableGPS device, a DVB device, a relatively small computing device, anon-desktop computer, a “carry small live large” (CSLL) device, anultra-mobile device (UMD), an ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), a mobile internetdevice (MID), an “origami” device or computing device, a device thatsupports dynamically compassable computing (DCC), a context-awaredevice, a video device, an audio device, or the like. It is understoodthat the above is a list of devices.

In one or more embodiments, the vehicle 102 may be an electric vehicleor a battery-powered hybrid vehicle. For example, instead of or inaddition to an internal combustion engine, the vehicle 102 may use anelectric motor powered by the high voltage battery 104. The vehicle 102may be any suitable vehicle such as a motorcycle, a car, a truck, arecreational vehicle (RV), a boat, plane, and/or the like, and may beequipped with suitable hardware and software that enables it tocommunicate over a network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a widearea network (WAN). In one embodiment, the vehicle 102 may include anautonomous vehicle (AV). In one embodiment, the sensor system 210, theexternal high-power voltage maintainer 152, and/or other devices of thevehicle 102 may communicate over one or more network connections.Examples of suitable network connections include a controller areanetwork (CAN), a media-oriented system transfer (MOST), a localinterconnection network (LIN), a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, andother appropriate connections such as those that conform with knownstandards and specifications (e.g., one or more Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards and/or the like).

Autonomous vehicle operation, including propulsion, steering, braking,navigation, and the like, may be controlled autonomously by the computer110 and/or the one or more processors 232. For example, the computer 110and/or the one or more processors 232 may be configured to receivefeedback from one or more sensors (e.g., the sensor system 210, etc.)and other vehicle components to determine road conditions, vehiclepositioning, and so forth. The computer 110 and/or the one or moreprocessors 232 may also ingest data from the speed monitor and yawsensor, as well as the tires, brakes, motor, and other vehiclecomponents. The computer 110 and/or the one or more processors 232 mayuse the feedback and the route/map data of the route to determineactions to be taken by the autonomous vehicle, which may includeoperations related to the engine, steering, braking, and so forth.Control of the various vehicle systems may be implemented using anysuitable mechanical means, such as servo motors, robotic arms (e.g., tocontrol steering wheel operation, acceleration pedal, brake pedal,etc.), and so forth. The computer 110 and/or the one or more processors232 may be configured to process received data, and may be configured tointeract with the user via the user interface devices in the vehicle 102and/or by communicating with the user's user device.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes ofillustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a process 300 for mitigatingvehicle power loss, in accordance with one or more example embodimentsof the present disclosure.

At block 302, a vehicle voltage system (or device, e.g., the externalhigh-power voltage maintainer 152 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) may provide afirst voltage (e.g., for the power 160 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) to avoltage control device (e.g., the voltage control device 156) of thesystem. For example, a power supply of the system (e.g., a battery,power receptacle, etc.) may provide the first voltage to the voltagecontrol device, which may be operatively connected to the power supplyand to a vehicle (e.g., the vehicle 102) to provide the first voltage tothe vehicle (e.g., to the battery 108 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The systemmay be external to and detachable from the vehicle.

At block 304, the voltage control device of the vehicle voltage systemmay receive the first voltage from the power supply. Because the voltagecontrol device may conduct in one direction (e.g., from the system to avehicle), the first voltage may be provided to the vehicle when thevoltage of a vehicle battery drops below a threshold voltage (e.g., avoltage needed to power a vehicle computer). The voltage control devicemay include a diode, relay monitor circuit, or other device for ensuringthe flow of current in one direction (e.g., to prevent backfeeding tothe power supply).

At block 306, the voltage control device of the vehicle voltage systemmay provide the first voltage to the vehicle when a second voltage ofthe vehicle is below a threshold voltage (e.g., to operate the computer110 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). The voltage control device of the system maydetect when the voltage of a vehicle battery drops below a thresholdvoltage because, for example, the voltage control device of the systemmay be operatively connected to the voltage output of the vehiclebattery. Because the voltage control device may be operatively connectedto the vehicle battery (e.g., via the voltage output 122 of FIG. 1 andFIG. 2), the voltage control device may detect the voltage output by thebattery. When the voltage across the voltage control device is positive(e.g., when the vehicle is turned off and the battery drains below athreshold voltage), the voltage control device may conduct, allowing thefirst power voltage to be provided to the vehicle.

At block 308, the voltage control device of the vehicle voltage systemmay block (e.g., prevent the flow of current) from a third voltage frombackfeeding from the vehicle. When the voltage across the voltagecontrol device is negative (e.g., due to the power 107 backfeeding fromthe vehicle), the voltage control device may prevent the flow ofcurrent. Because the voltage control device may be ideal (e.g., forwardbiased and conductive when the voltage applied to the voltage controldevice is forward/positive, and non-conductive when the voltage appliedto the voltage control device is backward/negative). When the vehicle isrunning (e.g., the high voltage battery 104 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 isproviding the power 105), the battery of the vehicle may backfeed (e.g.,due to a low impedance), resulting in a negative flow from the thirdvoltage to the voltage control device. As a result, the voltage controldevice may stop conducting (e.g., acting like an open switch), blockingthe backfeeding third voltage.

At block 310, optionally, the system may send vehicle data using acommunications interface (e.g., the communications interface 250 of FIG.2) to another device (e.g., the one or more devices 262 of FIG. 2). Thecommunication interface may use one or more communication protocols suchas cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE, and the like, allowing for wired orwireless communications using the external power supply. For example,the communications interface may allow for offloading data from thevehicle's computer and/or other systems. In particular, the system maysend data to one or more devices, such as sensor data for sensors of asensor system (e.g., the sensor system 210 of FIG. 2), allowing the oneor more devices to analyze operational performance of the vehicle andthe vehicle's sensor system (e.g., whether the sensors satisfyperformance metrics, etc.).

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes ofillustration and are not meant to be limiting.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing deviceor computer system 400 upon which any of one or more techniques (e.g.,methods) may be performed, in accordance with one or more exampleembodiments of the present disclosure.

For example, the computing system 400 of FIG. 4 may represent a portionof or include the sensor system 210 of FIG. 2, and therefore mayfacilitate the emission, reception, and processing of pulses. Thecomputer system (system) includes one or more processors 402-406.Processors 402-406 may include one or more internal levels of cache (notshown) and a bus controller (e.g., bus controller 422) or bus interface(e.g., I/O interface 420) unit to direct interaction with the processorbus 412. The sensor system 210 of FIG. 2 may also be in communicationwith the processors 402-406 and may be connected to the processor bus412, allowing for control of operation of a vehicle that may have or bein communication with the system 400 (e.g., the vehicle 402). Forexample, data from the sensor system 210 may result in signals (e.g.,determined by the one or more processors 232 of the sensor system 210,as shown in FIG. 2, and generated by the system 400) to be sent tovehicle components (e.g., the computer 110 of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) tocontrol vehicle operation (e.g., velocity, acceleration, direction,etc.).

Processor bus 412, also known as the host bus or the front side bus, maybe used to couple the processors 402-406 and/or the sensor system 210with the system interface 424. System interface 424 may be connected tothe processor bus 412 to interface other components of the system 400with the processor bus 412. For example, system interface 424 mayinclude a memory controller 418 for interfacing a main memory 416 withthe processor bus 412. The main memory 416 typically includes one ormore memory cards and a control circuit (not shown). System interface424 may also include an input/output (I/O) interface 420 to interfaceone or more I/O bridges 425 or I/O devices 430 with the processor bus412. One or more I/O controllers and/or I/O devices may be connectedwith the I/O bus 426, such as I/O controller 428 and I/O device 430, asillustrated.

I/O device 430 may also include an input device (not shown), such as analphanumeric input device, including alphanumeric and other keys forcommunicating information and/or command selections to the processors402-406 and/or the sensor system 210. Another type of user input deviceincludes cursor control, such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursordirection keys for communicating direction information and commandselections to the processors 402-406 and/or the sensor system 210 andfor controlling cursor movement on the display device.

System 400 may include a dynamic storage device, referred to as mainmemory 416, or a random access memory (RAM) or other computer-readabledevices coupled to the processor bus 412 for storing information andinstructions to be executed by the processors 402-406 and/or the sensorsystem 210. Main memory 416 also may be used for storing temporaryvariables or other intermediate information during execution ofinstructions by the processors 402-406 and/or the sensor system 210.System 400 may include read-only memory (ROM) and/or other staticstorage device coupled to the processor bus 412 for storing staticinformation and instructions for the processors 402-406 and/or thesensor system 210. The system outlined in FIG. 4 is but one possibleexample of a computer system that may employ or be configured inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

According to one embodiment, the above techniques may be performed bycomputer system 400 in response to processor 404 executing one or moresequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 416.These instructions may be read into main memory 416 from anothermachine-readable medium, such as a storage device. Execution of thesequences of instructions contained in main memory 416 may causeprocessors 402-406 and/or the sensor system 210 to perform the processsteps described herein. In alternative embodiments, circuitry may beused in place of or in combination with the software instructions. Thus,embodiments of the present disclosure may include both hardware andsoftware components.

Various embodiments may be implemented fully or partially in softwareand/or firmware. This software and/or firmware may take the form ofinstructions contained in or on a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium. Those instructions may then be read and executed by oneor more processors to enable the performance of the operations describedherein. The instructions may be in any suitable form, such as, but notlimited to, source code, compiled code, interpreted code, executablecode, static code, dynamic code, and the like. Such a computer-readablemedium may include any tangible non-transitory medium for storinginformation in a form readable by one or more computers, such as but notlimited to read-only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); magneticdisk storage media; optical storage media; a flash memory, etc.

A machine-readable medium includes any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form (e.g., software, processingapplication) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). Such media maytake the form of, but is not limited to, non-volatile media and volatilemedia and may include removable data storage media, non-removable datastorage media, and/or external storage devices made available via awired or wireless network architecture with such computer programproducts, including one or more database management products, web serverproducts, application server products, and/or other additional softwarecomponents. Examples of removable data storage media include CompactDisc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disc Read-Only Memory(DVD-ROM), magneto-optical disks, flash drives, and the like. Examplesof non-removable data storage media include internal magnetic harddisks, solid state devices (SSDs), and the like. The one or more memorydevices (not shown) may include volatile memory (e.g., dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and/ornon-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.).

Computer program products containing mechanisms to effectuate thesystems and methods in accordance with the presently describedtechnology may reside in main memory 416, which may be referred to asmachine-readable media. It will be appreciated that machine-readablemedia may include any tangible non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding instructions to perform any one or more of theoperations of the present disclosure for execution by a machine or thatis capable of storing or encoding data structures and/or modulesutilized by or associated with such instructions. Machine-readable mediamay include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized ordistributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that storethe one or more executable instructions or data structures.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include various steps, which aredescribed in this specification. The steps may be performed by hardwarecomponents or may be embodied in machine-executable instructions, whichmay be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processorprogrammed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively,the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer toparticular features, the scope of this invention also includesembodiments having different combinations of features and embodimentsthat do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, thescope of the present invention is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications, and variations together with allequivalents thereof.

The operations and processes described and shown above may be carriedout or performed in any suitable order as desired in variousimplementations. Additionally, in certain implementations, at least aportion of the operations may be carried out in parallel. Furthermore,in certain implementations, less than or more than the operationsdescribed may be performed.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinaladjectives “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a commonobject, merely indicates that different instances of like objects arebeing referred to and are not intended to imply that the objects sodescribed must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, inranking, or any other manner.

It is understood that the above descriptions are for purposes ofillustration and are not meant to be limiting.

Although specific embodiments of the disclosure have been described, oneof ordinary skill in the art will recognize that numerous othermodifications and alternative embodiments are within the scope of thedisclosure. For example, any of the functionality and/or processingcapabilities described with respect to a particular device or componentmay be performed by any other device or component. Further, whilevarious illustrative implementations and architectures have beendescribed in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure, one ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that numerous othermodifications to the illustrative implementations and architecturesdescribed herein are also within the scope of this disclosure.

Although embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not necessarily limited to the specific featuresor acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosedas illustrative forms of implementing the embodiments. Conditionallanguage, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,”unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments could include, while other embodiments do not include,certain features, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditionallanguage is not generally intended to imply that features, elements,and/or steps are in any way required for one or more embodiments or thatone or more embodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with orwithout user input or prompting, whether these features, elements,and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particularembodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle voltage system comprising: a firstpower supply; and a voltage control device configured to: receive firstvoltage from the first power supply, provide the first voltage to abattery hybrid electric vehicle, and block a second voltage from thebattery hybrid electric vehicle, wherein the vehicle voltage system isexternal to the battery hybrid electric vehicle.
 2. The vehicle voltagesystem of claim 1, wherein the voltage control device is furtherconfigured to provide the first voltage to the battery hybrid electricvehicle when a second power supply of the battery hybrid electricvehicle is off and when a third voltage of a third power supply of thebattery hybrid electric vehicle is below a threshold voltage.
 3. Thevehicle voltage system of claim 1, wherein the voltage control device isfurther configured to block the second voltage when a second powersupply of the battery hybrid electric vehicle is on.
 4. The vehiclevoltage system of claim 1, wherein the voltage control device comprisesa diode.
 5. The vehicle voltage system of claim 1, wherein the voltagecontrol device comprises a relay monitor circuit.
 6. The vehicle voltagesystem of claim 1, wherein the first power supply is a twelve volt powersupply.
 7. The vehicle voltage system of claim 1, further comprising acommunications interface associated with sending data to a deviceexternal to the vehicle voltage system.
 8. A method of controlling powerfor a battery hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising: providing,by a first power supply of a vehicle voltage system external to thebattery hybrid electric vehicle, a first voltage to a voltage controldevice of the vehicle voltage system; receiving, by the voltage controldevice, the first voltage from the first power supply; providing, by thevoltage control device, the first voltage to the battery hybrid electricvehicle when a second power supply of the battery hybrid electricvehicle is off and when a second voltage of a third power supply of thebattery hybrid electric vehicle is below a threshold voltage; andblocking, by the voltage control device, a third voltage from thebattery hybrid electric vehicle when the second power supply of thebattery hybrid electric vehicle is on.
 9. The method of claim 8, furthercomprising detecting, by the voltage control device, that the secondvoltage is below the threshold voltage, wherein providing the firstvoltage to the battery hybrid electric vehicle is based on thedetection.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending, usinga communications interface of the vehicle voltage system, data to adevice external to the vehicle voltage system.
 11. The method of claim8, wherein the voltage control device comprises a diode.
 12. The methodof claim 8, wherein the voltage control device comprises a relay monitorcircuit.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the first power supply is atwelve volt power supply.
 14. A vehicle voltage system comprising: abattery hybrid electric vehicle; a first power supply external to thebattery hybrid electric vehicle; and a voltage control device externalto the battery hybrid electric vehicle, the voltage control deviceconfigured to: receive first voltage from the first power supply,provide the first voltage to the battery hybrid electric vehicle, andblock a second voltage from the battery hybrid electric vehicle, whereinthe vehicle voltage system is external to the battery hybrid electricvehicle.
 15. The vehicle voltage system of claim 14, wherein the voltagecontrol device is further configured to provide the first voltage to thebattery hybrid electric vehicle when a second power supply of thebattery hybrid electric vehicle is off and when a third voltage of athird power supply of the battery hybrid electric vehicle is below athreshold voltage.
 16. The vehicle voltage system of claim 14, whereinthe voltage control device is further configured to block the secondvoltage when a second power supply of the battery hybrid electricvehicle is on.
 17. The vehicle voltage system of claim 14, wherein thevoltage control device comprises a diode.
 18. The vehicle voltage systemof claim 14, wherein the voltage control device comprises a relaymonitor circuit.
 19. The vehicle voltage system of claim 14, wherein thefirst power supply is a twelve volt power supply.
 20. The vehiclevoltage system of claim 14, further comprising a communicationsinterface associated with sending data to a device external to thevehicle voltage system.